The Terror of Thorn: Child of War: Book 2 (5 page)

CHAPTER 8

              Aubrey had just finished with him as the carriage came to a stop. Although she had a small sheen going, it was nothing like the buckets of sweat Xander had soaked the sheets with. She looked at him as he began drifting off to sleep, satisfied with herself for a job well done. Aubrey had ensured the carriage carrying the would be Thornian ruler was close by and used every trick she knew to ensure Xander was loud enough that there was no doubt they were making love. Aubrey played in his hair as lay sleeping; sure she would be on everyone’s lips during her travel. No one would dare look at her with a wrong eye, but Xander would get a few stares and a lot of comments about how lucky he was, especially from the soldiers that he got the privilege of sleeping with her. Aubrey could hear doors opening and movement outside and figured they were stopping for a midday meal and to water the horses. The calls of nature would probably need to be answered soon by the men, as all of the carriages had at least one seat that doubled as a bathroom with the droppings going straight out to the ground. She would have to go before the hour was up but would send Xander outside to ride with the men, some things she needed her privacy for.  Aubrey had just finished getting dressed when she heard a knock on her carriage door, amazed the sound did not wake Xander.

              “Your Highness it is Anaya” was what Aubrey heard as she opened the door. Aubrey decided to keep the door wide open as she stepped out of the carriage, sure anyone trying to sneak a peek could see Xander’s naked and sleeping form. Aubrey looked around and the day seemed brighter than what she remembered it, the birds chirping a happy melody. She could not recall the last time she enjoyed hearing them like she did now, owning it to the encounter she had with her husband.

              “We are still at least two weeks out at this pace” Anaya began trying not to look at Xander’s obvious naked form. “This will give the rest of our troops time to catch up with us before we push into Thorn. I really need to talk to you though about a more personal matter.”

              “Speak freely Anaya.”

              “Your Highness, we need Xander to start enchanting strong pieces of armor right now and start enchanting weaker pieces as we near Thorn. I am not sure if he will have the energy if you, that is if he is engaged in, I’m not sure how to say this Your Highness.” Anaya said, flustered at the thought.

              “Just say what’s on your mind” Aubrey said suddenly aware of what she was going to say.

              “We all enjoy a little piece to keep us warm on the road but you can’t go at him like that” Anaya said before she was interrupted.

              “I take it you heard our coupling?”

              “Coupling, is that what you call it” Anaya began. “Everyone heard it, the men are getting little rises in their britches and you know what is happening to the females. You were like a soldier who had not seen her husband in a year, trying to make up for everything she’s missed.”

              “Perhaps you have a point; we were in the middle of a small argument. Sometimes when men get mouthy you have to straighten them out a bit, put that mouth and all their excess energy to good use.” Aubrey said as she nodded her head in Xander’s direction.

              “I understand your Highness but could you straighten him out closer to bedtime perhaps?” Anaya stated as she stared openly at his sleeping form, thinking to herself she might send for the young soldier she had spied loading up the weapons.

              “I will take it under consideration, how has our guests been?” Aubrey said changing the subject.

              “Patrick has been his normal charming self and a great bit of chatter could be heard from their carriage until your activities became the subject of everyone within earshot.”

              “Good, when night falls we will have Xander teleport us back home to sleep in our own beds” Aubrey began while formulating a plan in her head. “We need a guarded tent; there Xander can make his little symbol to move us. He already has her twin prepared in the Royal Throne Room. If the Thornians are not complete idiots, they are already seeking ways to assassinate anyone of note in the military, the High General and the Future Heir would be a regular Coup de Grace. Put your best men outside of it, and it might be beneficial for some of the witches traveling with us to use the tent as their quarters for added protection. Let’s get going soon, we will speak again when we pull over for the night.”

              Xander was shaken awake and it took him a few moments to remember where he was. He looked around at Aubrey’s form standing over him and remembered his location. He had just felt the carriage lurch, which only meant they had stopped and were taking off again. Xander sat up in the bed and could feel the beginning of a couple of small pains. Once he had slept a full night he would be sore in the morning.

              “Get dressed and ride outside with the men, I need some privacy. If you are still tired you can sleep on your horse, now leave” Aubrey said in a tone much harsher than she meant.

              Xander dressed himself and went outside, his horse was tied to the carriage but he thought it still would have been nice if Aubrey stopped the carriage first, but more than likely she was just trying to assert herself. To be the future leader of Rangel, Aubrey had more power trips than Xander would have thought possible. Xander climbed to the back of the carriage and pulled his horse close. It wasn’t that difficult of a maneuver before he found himself in his saddle, loving the way it felt as it was contoured to his body. Xander had not been this far out of the Queendom in quite some time and could see the road they traveled was in better repair than he remembered it, gone was the compacted dirt, replaced by smooth stones tightly packed together. Xander stared down the road with a slight breeze playing at his face and could see the road wasn’t the only improvement.

              Alongside of the road for at least 40 yards in each direction the road was clear of growth, any would be bandit would be spotted long before they attempted to commit some cowardly deed. Xander’s horse began fidgeting, a sign Xander took as she wanted to open up her stride a little bit. Xander hated being next to Aubrey’s guards anyway, and welcomed a distraction. Xander spurred his horse forward until he reached the front of the procession, even pass the bearers of the Princess’s and the Military’s banners. Xander was not in the lead long before he was joined by another rider; one of the women he recognized from Thorn who believed was named Penny. Xander had felt uncomfortable in their presence as he always thought they were staring at him, judging him. The only reason he had not complained was because he knew it made Aubrey feel uncomfortable.

              “Hello Xander, I don’t think I ever had the chance to talk to you before now” Penny said as she rode along Xander.

              “I have not noticed Lady Penny, I tend only to notice my wife’s absence” Xander replied stoically. Xander smiled inwardly and did love the attention, most women would look at his hair and stop there, but each of these women had a red mane, a look he did find fetching, just not fetching enough to wind up back in the arena.

              “I was bored riding all stuffed up in a carriage as nice as it may be, I just thought you might like a little company” Penny said trying to get Xander to open up.

              “My wife is all the company I require” Xander replied.

              “Relax Xander, I am aware of some of your laws, I’m not trying to sleep with you! I just want some conversation, nothing that will get you in trouble. My kinsmen are all tied up guarding and brooding and I can only take being locked up with a bunch of women for so long. You look close enough to my countrymen I figured I would just chat you up a bit. You Rangelian men are a strange lot indeed.”

              Xander thought over what she said, there was no way he could be accused of any inappropriateness in front of a bunch of soldiers with the Princess herself in the retinue. “I apologize for my behavior, please forgive me.” Xander said as he stared straight ahead at the road, wondering what her real purpose was for being here.

              “That’s better, are you nervous about the upcoming battle, I fear many of your people will die for our cause” Penny said trying to gauge his reaction.

              “Battle is what it is, my Lady, the only true freedom is death. There are many who welcome such a chance” Xander replied.

Penny wasn’t sure how to take his reply, but judging on his build, Xander was no stranger to sword play. “That is very dark Xander, do you plan on doing any fighting?”

              “I don’t plan on fighting anyone; I plan on killing all responsible for my mother’s murder. I will offer no quarter and expect none to be given to me. Anyone who I hear had any hand in her murder and subsequent desecration will meet whichever of the Gods they pray to. This I swear on my mother’s grave.” Xander said sure his hatred slipped into his voice.

              Penny was taken aback by the ferocity he suddenly showed. She had heard it was rumored he lost someone during the brief excursion the Army made into Rangel, but figured it to be a lover or such. His mother was taken from him that is what caused him to wage a one man war. “I am sorry for your loss, just know many of my countrymen did not want to take part in it, but surely you have exacted enough revenge already.” Penny said trying to find out once and for all if he was the person responsible.

              “There is never enough blood shed when someone close to you was taken from me in the manner mine was.” Xander replied.

              Penny had confirmed what she already believed, Xander was the blood thirsty person clad in the pink armor. Once she saw the champion their Princess assigned to Samantha, that mountain of a man could only be the other warrior rumored to be in Rangel that slaughtered so many Inglishmen.

              “By your leave my lady, I suddenly wish to be alone” Xander said as he fell back into the rest of the soldiers.

CHAPTER 9

              The next couple of days went by pretty slowly by Xander’s estimate, filled only with his enchanting weapons and armor followed by his teleporting the High Witch, Aubrey and the General back to the Palace to update the Queen and to sleep. He was sure the women from Thorn figured out he was an enchanter by now but he didn’t care.  Aubrey had not allowed him to go out of their carriage since that first day, when she heard he had a conversation with one of the Thornians. Xander told her truthfully the content of their conversation and Xander thought she seemed taken aback when he said he was going to kill. Xander expected her to fight him on this, and expected a proper flogging for he was not going to back down and would have more than likely killed the majority of her precious Palace Guard, as their armor and weapons were not enchanted, as it was doubtful they would see any fighting.

Xander awoke this day with the air smelling of pine, these trees were native to Thorn, their aroma signaled he was close to his childhood home. Xander remembered the last time he was here when he found his mother’s body, a sad memory that even in its heinousness, could not replace the joy Xander experienced here as a boy. Unconsciously a smile began to creep on his face as Aubrey noticed.

              “We are getting close to the border, if we push through we should be there by nightfall” Aubrey said as she sat next to her husband. “If you want, we can spend the next day here before you have to leave.”

              “My mother was killed here, I do not wish to stay your Highness” Xander said as hearing Aubrey’s voice snapped him out of whatever fantasy he was having. “However if her Highness wishes me to, I will do whatever you want.”

              “Dammit, Xander look at me!” Aubrey said as she grabbed his chin and turned his head towards her. “Listen, I am trying, I am really trying hard. Things that I know you would like to do, you see no joy in it just because I brought it up. I want more than what we have together, I want a man, not this puppet who shares the bed with me.”

              “Your highness I do not understand” Xander said as he smiled inwardly for briefly getting under her skin. “I have done all you asked without so much as a complaint. I do not know what more you want from me.”

              “I want you to be you. You have this iron wall you try to keep up around your feelings but the real you slips through sometimes. I know you like to hunt and go horseback riding. I know you love those little lemon tarts I made for your birthday. I know you absolutely love it when you hang around the Palace Guard during their off time just being one of the lads. All of this you have not done or enjoyed since you were disciplined. Get over it, it happened now it is done and over with. You have no idea what I go through, I am the future Queen of Rangel and I am expected to act a certain way and be perfect, upholding all customs of past Queens and when I am alone with you when I can finally be Aubrey, you act like the perfect little puppet. There is the public face, the face that is shown to everyone while we are performing our part and the private face, this is the face we show each other, but you refuse to show it to me now!” Aubrey screamed her last part as Xander could swear he could see a tear forming in the corner of her right eye.

              Xander thought to himself, had he really pushed her this far? His original plan was just to be whatever she wanted without showing any emotion towards her whatsoever. But having Aubrey crying in front of him was not what he really wanted no matter how cruel he thought she could be. Xander loved having his enemies in front of him, sword in hand ready for battle, rather than having to fight his own emotions.